Mills, Claudia 1954–

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Mills, Claudia 1954–

Personal

Born August 21, 1954, in New York, NY; daughter of Charles Howard (a safety engineer) and Helen (a teacher) Mills; married Richard W. Wahl (a natural resources economist), October 19, 1985; children: Christopher Richard Wahl, Gregory Charles Wahl. Education: Wellesley College, B.A., 1976; Princeton University, M.A., 1979, Ph.D., 1991; University of Maryland, M.L.S., 1988.

Addresses

Home—Boulder, CO. Office—Department of Philosophy, Campus P.O. Box 232, Boulder, CO 80309-0232. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Four Winds Press, New York, NY, editorial secretary and production assistant, 1979-80; University of Maryland, College Park, editor at Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, 1980-89, assistant professor of philosophy, 1991-92; University of Colorado, Boulder, assistant professor of philosophy, 1992—, associate chair of philosophy, 1999—, director of Summer Philosophy Institute of Colorado, 1995—. Judge in children's book grant program, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), 1992 and 1994; Children's Literature Association, member of book award committee, 1994-96, chair, 1996-98; fiction judge for Golden Kite Award, SCBWI, 1996; judge of National Book Award/ Literature for Young People, 2005; judge of Children's Literature Association Phoenix Award, 2006-08. Correspondent, Loose Leaf Book Company radio series, 1999-2002.

Member

Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC (president, 1986-87), Children's Literature Association, Colorado Authors League, Phi Beta Kappa.

Awards, Honors

Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies designation, National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council, for All the Living and Boardwalk with Hotel; Children's Books of the Year designation, Library of Congress, 1986, for The One and Only Cynthia Jane Thornton, 1988, for Cally's Enterprise, 1991, for Hannah on Her Way, 1992, for Dinah for President, and 1998, for Standing up to Mr. O; Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library, 1996, Blue Ribbon listee, Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, and Top Hand Award for Young-Adult Fiction, Colorado Authors League, all for Dinah Forever; Pick of the Lists, American Bookseller, 1997, for One Small Lost Sheep; Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year selection, 1997, for Losers, Inc. and One Small Lost Sheep, 1998, for Standing up to Mr. O and Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, 1999, for Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike and You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, and 2000, for Gus and Grandpa and Showand-Tell; Top Hand Award for Young Adult Fiction, Colorado Author's League, 1997, for Losers, Inc.; Outstanding Achievement Awards, Parents Guide to Children's Media, for Gus and Grandpa Ride the Train, Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, and Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Awards, for Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, and Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume; International Honor Book designation, Society of School Librarians, 2000, for You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman; Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library, 2001, for Lizzie at Last; Notable Book citations, American Library Association, for Gus and Grandpa at Basketball and 7 x 9 = Trouble!; Colorado Authors League Award and Blue Ribbon list, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, both for 7 x 9 = Trouble!; Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award nominee, 2002, for You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman.

Writings

MIDDLE-GRADE NOVELS

Luisa's American Dream, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1981.

At the Back of the Woods, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1982.

The Secret Carousel, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1983.

All the Living, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1983.

What about Annie?, Walker & Co. (New York, NY), 1985.

Boardwalk with Hotel, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1985.

The One and Only Cynthia Jane Thornton, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986.

Melanie Magpie, Bantam (New York, NY), 1987.

Cally's Enterprise, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988.

After Fifth Grade, the World!, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Dynamite Dinah, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

Hannah on Her Way, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1991.

Dinah for President, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Dinah in Love, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Secret Life of Bethany Barrett, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Dinah Forever, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1995.

Standing up to Mr. O., Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1998.

Trading Places, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2006.

The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2008.

CHAPTER BOOKS

7 x 9 = Trouble!, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

Perfectly Chelsea, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

Being Teddy Roosevelt, illustrated by R.W. Alley, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2007.

How Oliver Olson Changed the World, pictures by Heather Maione, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2009.

"WEST CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL" SERIES

Losers, Inc., Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1997.

You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1999.

Lizzie at Last, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2000.

Alex Ryan, Stop That!, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

Makeovers by Marcia, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2005.

PICTURE BOOKS

A Visit to Amy-Claire, illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Phoebe's Parade, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

One Small Lost Sheep, illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1997.

Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day, illustrated by R.W. Alley, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2005.

"GUS AND GRANDPA" SERIES; EASY-READERS

Gus and Grandpa, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1997.

Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1997.

Gus and Grandpa at the Hospital, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1998.

Gus and Grandpa Ride the Train, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1998.

Gus and Grandpa and the Two-wheeled Bike, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1999.

Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2000.

Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2001.

Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

Gus and Grandpa Go Fishing, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2003.

Gus and Grandpa and the Piano Lesson, illustrated by Catherine Stock, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2004.

OTHER

(Editor with Douglas MacLean) Liberalism Reconsidered, Rowman & Alanheld (Totowa, NJ), 1983.

(Editor with Robert K. Fullinwider) The Moral Foundations of Civil Rights, Rowman & Littlefield (Totowa, NJ), 1986.

Values and Public Policy, edited by Robert J. Fogelin, Harcourt (Fort Worth, TX), 1992.

Author or editor of professional publications in philosophy and public policy; contributor of articles on children's literature to journals, including Children's Literature, Children's Literature Association Quarterly, and Children's Literature in Education.

Sidelights

Claudia Mills has blended a career as a children's author with her stature as a highly regarded associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado. Mills'spopular novels for middle-graders introduce readers to energetic preteens facing challenges on the way to growing up and learning about their personal identity. Sparked by humor, her middle-grade novels such as Dinah Forever, Being Teddy Roosevelt, and The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish are characterized by a lighthearted, though sometimes slow-paced, approach while conveying important messages to young readers. For younger readers, Mills has also produced numerous picture books as well as the popular "Gus and Grandpa" series.

Born in New York City, Mills moved to North Plainfield, New Jersey, with her family before she began kindergarten. In elementary school, she already had dreams of becoming an author and spent many hours writing poems and stories. Her first publishing success came as a surprise when her English teacher told her class to write a story. Mills did not think her effort was very good, but her teacher thought differently and sent it to the Junior Scholastic annual writing contest where it won first prize. At age fourteen, she wrote an autobiography titled "T Is for Tarzan," in which she talked about her experiences in the eighth grade. The manuscript was "the literary sensation of junior high school," she related. "I still draw heavily from my own life in my books, but at least now I change the names."

Electing to study philosophy, Mills earned a B.A. at Wellesley College, then enrolled in a doctoral program at Princeton, although she did not complete her Ph.D. for over a decade. "I didn't begin serious professional writing," Mills once told SATA, "… until I left graduate school impulsively in mid-year to take a secretarial job at Four Winds Press. I occupied myself during the four-hour round-trip from Princeton [to New York City] by writing picture book and novel manuscripts, which I submitted to Four Winds Press under various pseudonyms. It was very easy—but so disheartening—to slip a rejected manuscript unobtrusively into my book bag."

"Finally a manuscript proved promising enough on a first skim for the editor to hand it over to me, her secretary, for a reader's report. I took the challenge and wrote an objective, candid report on my own manuscript, including suggestions for needed revisions. The editor forwarded to the author (me) her ‘excellent reader's report,’ and then I dutifully took my own suggestions in rewriting. I finally confessed my duplicity when the manuscript was completed. Fortunately, the editor had a keen sense of humor, and the manuscript was eventually published as At the Back of the Woods."

Several other books followed, among them Luisa's American Dream, The Secret Carousel, and All the Living, before Mills married her husband, Richard Wahl, in 1985. Her book What about Annie? was a departure for Mills, who typically sets her books in the present. Taking place during the Great Depression, What about Annie? features thirteen-year-old Annie Bodansky, one of six children in a Catholic family living in Baltimore. Annie's father has just lost his job working for American Radiator, and his subsequent and severe emotional depression affects the entire family. When her father attempts suicide, Annie tries to run away from home by taking her friend Tim's airplane. When an emergency forces her to bail out of the plane, Annie returns home, her rash action "contribut[ing]… to her father's healing," according to Catherine Wood in School Library Journal.

Family problems are also at the core of Boardwalk with Hotel, in which young Jessica Jarrell learns that her parents adopted her because they thought they could not have children of their own. Soon after adopting her, however, Jessica's mother gave birth to a son and a daughter. Now the girl believes her parents do not love her as much as they do her younger siblings Brian and Julie, and her resentment begins to show. By the story's conclusion, Jessica learns that her parents love all three of their children, adopted or not. Phyllis Graves commented in School Library Journal that many pre-teens "who vacillate between over-confidence and anxiety" will be able to sympathize with Jessica, concluding that Boardwalk with Hotel "should have wide appeal."

Creating less-than-perfect characters like Jessica, who are nonetheless sympathetic and appealing, is one of the hallmarks of Mills's books. As Phyllis Wilson put it in a Booklist review of After Fifth Grade, the World!, "Mills has a knack for creating plucky heroines whose armor has a believable tarnish." The One and Only Cynthia Jane Thornton finds a fifth grader resenting the fact that her younger sister is stealing her spotlight by writing a book when Cynthia always felt that it was she who excelled at writing. In this work, Mills creates a character who "can be small, petty, and jealous," as one Booklist contributor put it. However, the "flaws in Cynthia's personality are part of the book's allure." What Cynthia learns—and what Mills shows her readers—is that someone can be unique and special without necessarily being the best. "Young readers will happily ride the roller coaster of emotions along with Cynthia," claimed School Library Journal critic Virginia Golodetz.

After Fifth Grade, the World! features another flawed young character, Heidi Ahlenslager. Heidi and her friend Lynette have a mean teacher, Mrs. Richardson, whose strict ways they set about trying to reform. First they try kindness, but when that does not work, the girls stage cruel pranks that ultimately land them both in trouble and teach them to accept others as they are. A Publishers Weekly critic praised Mills for opting not to offer convenient solutions to Heidi's problems, such as having Mrs. Richardson lose her job or inexplicably metamorphose into a kinder person, and acknowledged the author "for writing realistically about the middle grades."

Parents are sometimes less than perfect, and Mills documents this situation in Cally's Enterprise. In this story, Cally Lippincott's parents control almost everything their daughter does both in and out of school, including enrolling Cally in classes in gymnastics and ballet that the girl does not enjoy. Through a business partnership with her friend Chuck Forster, however, Cally becomes more assertive and takes control of her own life. A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books contributor asserted: "It's nice to have a book about the desire for independence, so typical a development of the young teen years."

The problems of school popularity figure into several of Mills's stories. In Hannah on Her Way, Hannah Keddie is a smart and artistically inclined ten year old who has few friends among her peers because she still plays with her toy dolls and prefers wearing her hair in a braid rather than following the more trendy hairstyles of the other girls in her grade. When a new transfer student named Caitlin befriends her and gives Hannah an in with the popular girls at school, Hannah begins to mature, but then her new friend shows a different side of her character that causes Hannah to make a grown-up choice. Hannah on Her Way was praised by reviewers as an honest portrayal of contemporary girls, Phyllis G. Sidorsky writing in School Library Journal that Mills' sstory is "painfully true to life" as well as "humorous and heartwarming."

Mills features a girl named Dinah Seabrooke in a series of novels that includes Dynamite Dinah, Dinah for President, Dinah in Love, and Dinah Forever. Dinah is a characteristic Mills heroine: flamboyant and with an artistic flair, she has some lessons to learn about growing up, accepting others, and finding her place in the world. In Dynamite Dinah the ten year old craves to be the center of attention, and she succeeds in various ways until a new baby brother comes into her life and her teacher tells her that she cannot be the star in the school play. Ultimately, however, Dinah begins to understand that other people need attention too, and she becomes a little less self-absorbed. In Dinah for President the girl starts sixth grade at a new middle school, where she runs for student president and develops a close friendship with the elderly Mrs. Briscoe, whom she is helping with work around the house In Dinah in Love the girl experiences her first boy-girl crush, and Dinah Forever focuses on deals with death when a close elderly friend passes away. "Mills is realistic enough to realize that people, especially Dinah, can only change so much," a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted of Dynamite Dinah, while in Dinah Forever Hazel Rochman wrote in Booklist that readers "will enjoy the quarrels among friends and enemies, the romance, and the passionate ideas." Writing in School Library Journal, Cindy Darling Codell called Dinah in Love "nicely structured and gifted with interesting characters."

With Standing up to Mr. O. Mills presents another "school coming-of-age story for those who love a stimulating argument," according to Rochman. Mills weaves the theme of animal rights into this tale of twelve-year-old Maggie who starts to dread biology class when it is time to dissect worms and other small animals. While Maggie objects to killing on purpose, her friends are divided on the issue. Complicating matters, Mr. O., her biology teacher and something of a surrogate father, expects her to comply with class procedure. When Maggie resists, Mr. O. threatens to flunk her, and things escalate even further when he prevents her anti-dissection essay from winning an essay contest. Through all of this, Maggie learns hard lessons, primarily the need to "face her disappointment in others with moderation and compassion," as Horn Book critic Jennifer M. Brabander noted. A critic for Kirkus Reviews had further praise for the middle-grade novel, noting that "once again Mills renders the trials of a good kid in a sympathetic and believable style." Writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Stevenson similarly commented that in Standing up to Mr. O. "Mills does an excellent job of blending serious philosophical contemplation with middle-grades realities."

Life in middle school is the subject of Mills's "West Creek Middle School" series, which starts with Losers, Inc. Twelve-year-old Ethan Winfield figures that he is already a loser, so he forms Losers, Inc. One of the first members of this club is his buddy Julius, as unpopular and out of it as Ethan is. Ethan's self-esteem is not helped by the fact that his older brother, Peter, is perfect in everything he does; not only does he get straight A's, but he also excels at sports. Sudden motivation to change comes in the form of a beautiful new student teacher, Ms. Gunderson. Starting to work on a science project in order to impress her, Ethan also takes on a hefty volume by Charles Dickens as the subject of an upcoming book report. These actions attract not Ms. Gunderson but the unpopular Lizzie, and though he has been cruel to her in the past, Ethan is nice to Lizzie now in order to further impress his teacher. As events continue, the preteen learns lessons about life and achieves new insights as the consequence of his own actions. Mills "is particularly good at simple expression of complex characters and relationships," wrote Stevenson in a review of Losers, Inc. for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Robert Lipsyte, writing in the New York Times Book Review, had a different viewpoint, writing that Mills's take on middle-grade angst is somewhat unrealistic. "When the meanest kids in school come up with a plan to enter one of Lizzie's poems in a fake national contest, and when the outcome is totally benign, devoid even of nasty comedy, we know we are in a no-kid's land," Lipsyte concluded. Rochman, writing in Booklist, deemed Losers, Inc. a "touching comedy about a boy's muddle at home and at school," and in Publishers Weekly a writer called the book "funny, lively, … hopeful," and "certain to strike a chord with the target audience."

Ethan's best friend Julius stars in You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman. Although Ethan has transcended the "loser" label, Julius still feels like one. With summer vacation coming up, his mom decides to get her recalcitrant son in shape for the coming academic year, scheduling a French class in the morning and a job babysitting in the afternoon. Through it all, Julius fears that he will once again disappoint his mother, but surprisingly he "ends up having a pretty decent time," according to Brabander. Cooper, writing in Booklist, felt that "Mills relates all this with her usual amusing take on things and makes Julius an endearing hero," and a Publishers Weekly reviewer called You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman an "often poignant comedy" that "as a whole rings satisfyingly true." Frederick McKissack, Jr., writing in the Washington Post Book World, praised Mills "for creating a character that is both credible and unconventional."

Lizzie gets her own title in the "West Creek Middle School" series with Lizzie at Last in which she is "determined to shake off her reputation as a nerd," as a reviewer for Publishers Weekly commented. To this end, she dons stylish jeans and acts like she does not know the answers in math class. Even her poetry takes a back- seat as she strives to fit in, but finally Lizzie comes to her senses and back to herself during a visit to the rare book room of a library. The same Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that "Mills delivers a timely message to middle graders confronted with peer pressure." Similarly, Patti Gonzales observed in School Library Journal that "readers will empathize with this appealing protagonist and delight in her accomplishments." In Horn Book Brabander maintained that "Mills excels at conveying the comforting news that everyone—popular or not—faces problems at school and at home," while Booklist critic Kay Weisman concluded that Lizzie at Last serves as "a solid, upbeat choice for the middle grades."

Continuing her "West Creek Middle School" series, Mills brings class clown Alex Ryan to center stage in what Laura Reed called "a touching and funny read" in her review of Alex Ryan, Stop That! for School Library Journal. Alex is upset when his father becomes a chaperone for a school outing, as he often makes fun of his son. Additionally, Alex falls for Marcia Faitak, one of the prettiest girls in seventh grade, and his efforts to get her attention only alienate her. Trying to make things up to her, he only manages to get the girl's leg broken. His subsequent rescue makes Alex a hero, but soon the truth comes out that he was responsible for the accident in the first place. Marcia returns in the final volume of the series. In Makeovers by Marcia, the tables turn as Marcia tries to find a way to get Alex to invite her to the school dance. Dieting and face creams become the order of the day for the suddenly self-conscious girl in a book that a Kirkus Reviews recommended for its "spot-on dialogue, character, humor, and a realistic premise." In Booklist Weisman predicted that with Alex Ryan, Stop That! librarians should "expect requests for previous titles in this humorous series."

Writing for a slightly younger audience, Mills presents the difficulties of learning the multiplication tables in 7 x 9 = Trouble!, called a "lighthearted story" by Marilyn Ackerman in School Library Journal. As Mills noted on the Children's Book Guild Web site, she wrote the book "because both my boys had to memorize all the times tables when they were in the third grade, and it was a big ordeal! I thought it might be an experience a lot of kids could relate to." Mills included another real-life incident to this tale: the time when a child's hamster escaped from a classroom and was found eating all the kindergarten snacks. In her novel, third-grader Wilson is having trouble learning the multiplication tables, while his younger brother, still in kindergarten, is already starting to remember them. Wilson desperately wants to pass his multiplication test so he can win an ice-cream cone from his teacher. Ackerman called this chapter book "entertaining," and one that "youngsters will relate to." In Horn Book Martha V. Parravano commented that "Mills has an unerring gift for identifying childhood challenges … and joys," and a critic for Kirkus Reviews dubbed 7 x 9 = Trouble! "an excellent selection for the new chapter book reader."

A fourth grader is inspired by a U.S. president in Being Teddy Roosevelt, which finds Riley O'Rourke frustrated over his family's inability to pay for a saxophone so he can perform in the school band. However, a reading assignment that involves choosing a biography and then attending a special presentation as that person prompts Riley to learn about Theodore Roosevelt and realize that persistence and hard work can yield amazing results. "Children will appreciate [Mills'] … gentle lesson about achieving a goal," noted Lee Bock in his School Library Journal review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, and a Kirkus Reviews critic wrote that "Mills writes with such a light, humorous touch that many scenes beg to be read aloud."

Mills moves to the fifth grade in The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish, which finds a girl excited about a school assignment that involves creating a fictional diary from the U.S. Civil War era. Soon, Amanda's home life seems as divisive as the civil war, as her parents separate and her two brothers choose sides opposing one another. Embarrassed by the situation, Amanda keeps the truth from her best friend, and finds solace in learning that the actual Civil War was eventually resolved. Mills'sstory "addresses many is- sues of relevance in a straightforward style and provides age-appropriate food for thought," wrote Pat Leach in a School Library Journal review of the story, while Weisman maintained that "subplots provide the novel's lighter moments." "Veteran author Mills wins again," concluded Brabander in Horn Book, the critic praising The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish for containing "an eminently likable protagonist, well-integrated subplots, and an emotionally involving story."

Although she has worked in many genres, Mills is best known for her beginning readers, both stand-alone titles such as One Small Lost Sheep, Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day, and the titles in her popular "Gus and Grandpa" series, featuring seven-year-old Gus and his seventy-year-old grandpa. In the debut title, Gus and Grandpa, the two go shopping and lose their car in the parking lot, celebrate birthdays, and train a dog to do tricks. In Booklist, Rochman praised the story's "simple, lovely" text as one that "will help beginning readers." The duo makes sweets for themselves in Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies, but the neighbors have no idea about their cooking skills and supply the two with cookies galore at the holiday season. In Booklist Cooper cited Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies for offering "a nice holiday-season feeling, [and] making its point about giving in a fresh way." Grandpa has a heart attack in Gus and Grandpa at the Hospital, but Gus overcomes his fear at seeing his helpless relative when he realizes he can play with the automated bed.

Mills "seems to get better and better with each new book," wrote Parravano in a review of Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike for Horn Book. In the story, Grandpa displays his understanding when Gus is hesitant to surrender his training wheels. Gus gets inventive in Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, bringing his beloved grandfather to school for show-and-tell. Sports are featured in Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, in which the elderly man helps the boy focus during basketball games. Louie Lahana, reviewing Gus and Grandpa at Basketball for School Library Journal, noted that it is "filled with fast-paced action and a bit of humor," and is "rich with lessons in persistence, achievement, and family relationships." "Simple without being condescending, this will have huge appeal for new readers," predicted critic Rochman of the same title. Grandpa's "wisdom and good sense come through" in Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume, according to Booklist critic Stephanie Zvirin. When Gus's parents disapprove of his Halloween outfit, he turns to Grandpa and his trunk of old clothes for help. Describing the book's ending as "satisfying," a Kirkus Reviews critic offered warm words for the way in which "Mills quietly shows Gus solving his own problem."

Mills further commented on the Children's Book Guild Web site that she has "always had another job while writing my books." Not only does she balance her work as a philosophy professor with her writing, but also with her other "job" as mother to two sons. Writing, then, is more a "secret love" than labor for her. "Some writers say that they hate to write," Mills observed on the Farrar, Straus, & Giroux Web site. "I love to write. I write my books early in the morning, while the rest of my family is still sleeping. I get up at five a.m., fix myself a mug of hot chocolate or Earl Grey tea, and then curl up on the couch with my pad and pen." Mills writes all her first drafts by hand and usually composes about a page per day. "But page by page, day by day, on the couch at dawn, I've written many books now."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1987, review of The One and Only Cynthia Jane Thornton, p. 710; July, 1989, Phyllis Wilson, review of After Fifth Grade, the World!, p. 1906; October 1, 1995, Hazel Rochman, review of Dinah Forever, p. 316; February 1, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of Gus and Grandpa, p. 950; March 1, 1997, Hazel Rochman, review of Losers, Inc., p. 1165; September 1, 1997, Susan Dove Lempke, review of One Small Lost Sheep, p. 140; September 15, 1997, Ilene Cooper, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies, pp. 235-235; May 1, 1998, Kay Weisman, review of Gus and Grandpa Ride the Train, p. 1526; October 15, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Standing up to Mr. O., p. 422; November 1, 1998, Elizabeth Drennan, review of Gus and Grandpa at the Hospital, p. 508; February 1, 1999, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Two-wheeled Bike, p. 975; October 15, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, p. 446; October 1, 2000, Kathy Broderick, review of Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, p. 352; November 1, 2000, Kay Weisman, review of Lizzie at Last, p. 540; November 15, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, p. 574; April 1, 2002, Julie Cummins, review of 7 x 9 = Trouble!, p. 1328; September 1, 2002, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume, p. 140; April 1, 2003, Kay Weisman, review of Alex Ryan, Stop That!, pp. 1397-1398; March 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Makeovers by Marcia, p. 1198; September 1, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day, p. 793; February 1, 2006, Hazel Rochman, review of Trading Places, p. 51; January 1, 2007, Todd Morning, review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, p. 104; January 1, 2008, Kay Weisman, review of The Totally Made-up Civil War of Amanda MacLeish, p. 86.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1985, Catherine Wood, review of What about Annie?, p. 93; November, 1985, review of Boardwalk with Hotel; April, 1988, review of Cally's Enterprise; April, 1991, Deborah Stevenson, review of Hannah on Her Way, pp. 200-201; January, 1995, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Secret Life of Bethany Barrett, p. 173; April, 1997, Deborah Stevenson, review of Losers, Inc., p. 290; October, 1998, Deborah Stevenson, review of Standing up to Mr. O., p. 68; January, 2005, Deborah Stevenson, review of Makeovers by Marcia, p. 220; April, 2006, Deborah Stevenson, review of Trading Places, p. 367; February, 2008, Deborah Stevenson, review of The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish, p. 255.

Canadian Review of Materials, February 27, 1998, Gail Hamilton, review of One Small Lost Sheep.

Children's Literature in Education, September, 1990, Claudia Mills, "Capitalist Tools? Today's Entrepreneurial Novels for Children," pp. 189-197.

Horn Book, September-October, 1998, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Standing up to Mr. O., p. 613; March-April, 1999, Martha V. Parravano, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Two-wheeled Bike, p. 211; September-October, 1999, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, p. 614; November-December, 2000, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Lizzie at Last, p. 760; November-December, 2001, Martha V. Parravano, review of Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, pp. 754-755; March-April, 2002, Martha V. Parravano, review of 7 x 9 = Trouble!, p. 215; March-April, 2007, Robin Smith, review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, p. 199; March-April, 2008, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish, p. 218.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1998, review of Standing up to Mr. O., p. 1289; March 1, 2002, review of 7 x 9 = Trouble!, p. 341; August 1, 2002, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume, p. 1138; February 15, 2005, review of Makeovers by Marcia, p. 234; July 15, 2005, review of Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day, p. 793; March 15, 2006, review of Trading Places, p. 296; January 15, 2007, review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, p. 78; February 15, 2008, review of The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish.

New York Times Book Review, June 8, 1997, Robert Lipsyte, review of Losers, Inc., p. 27.

Publishers Weekly, April 28, 1989, review of After Fifth Grade, the World!, p. 81; March 30, 1990, review of Dynamite Dinah, p. 62; January 20, 1997, review of Losers, Inc., p. 402; February 3, 1997, review of Gus and Grandpa, p. 107; July 26, 1999, review of You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, p. 91; October 7, 2000, review of Lizzie at Last, p. 96; February 26, 2007, review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, p. 90.

School Library Journal, May, 1985, Catherine Wood, review of What about Annie?, p. 93; September, 1985, Phyllis Graves, review of Boardwalk with Hotel, p. 137; December, 1986, Virginia Golodetz, review of The One and Only Cynthia Jane Thornton, p. 106; May, 1989, Susan Schuller, review of Cally's Enterprise, p. 99; May, 1991, Phyllis G. Sidorsky, review of Hannah on Her Way, p. 94; May, 1992, Jana R. Fine, review of Dinah for President, p. 114; December, 1993, Cindy Darling Codell, review of Dinah in Love, p. 114; February, 1995, Bonnie L. Raasch, review of The Secret Life of Bethany Barrett, pp. 99-100; April, 1997, Susan W. Hunter, review of Losers, Inc., p. 138, Jody McCoy, review of Gus and Grandpa, p. 114; October, 1997, Jane Marino, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies, pp. 42-43; May, 1998, Lisa Gangemi, review of Gus and Grandpa Ride the Train, pp. 121-122; September, 1998, Pamela K. Bomboy, review of Gus and Grandpa at the Hospital, p. 177; December, 1998, Jennifer Ralston, review of Standing up to Mr. O., p. 129; April, 1999, Maura Bresnahan, review of Gus and Grandpa and the Two-wheeled Bike, p. 105; September, 1999, Terrie Dorio, review of You're a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman, p. 277; August, 2000, Lisa Smith, review of Gus and Grandpa and Show-and-Tell, p. 160; November, 2000, Patti Gonzales, review of Lizzie at Last, p. 160; September, 2001, Louie Lahana, review of Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, p. 200; April, 2002, Marilyn Ackerman, review of 7 x 9 = Trouble!, p. 118; April, 2003, Laura Reed, review of Alex Ryan, Stop That!, p. 165; November, 2005, Linda Zeilstra, review of Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day, p. 101; May, 2006, Cheryl Ashton, review of Trading Places, p. 132; March, 2007, Lee Bock, review of Being Teddy Roosevelt, p. 182; May, 2008, Pat Leach, review of The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish, p. 134.